Sandy (Alex) G is an American musician based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is an experimental musician, playing folk and indie rock music on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and various other instruments such as keyboard and banjo. His use of digital audio effects, such as distortion and reverb, has resulted in experimentation with atypical musical structures and genres.
Born Alexander Giannascoli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1991, Alex G began playing music at a very young age, first by taking violin lessons when he was three or four, then by playing drums at home and in bands in school. His family fostered his enthusiasm for music by taking him to various artists’ concerts and encouraging participation in the music scene in and around Philadelphia. Alex’s early influences included Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Nirvana, and Tower of Power. By the age of thirteen, Alex was already writing his own music.
Throughout his early teens and high school career, Alex G continued to write and record music, and began sharing it on Bandcamp and other DIY web platforms. Over time, he developed a charmingly lo-fi sound that blended both the avant-garde stylings of groups like Animal Collective and Ariana Grande with an indie-rock aesthetic rooted in his upbringing.
In 2011, Alex G’s album Family prompted the indie music blog I Rock Philly to note: “It’s a pretty special moment when an endearing and hardworking artist like Alex creates such a gripping debut album as Family."
The release of his next album, Trick, in 2012 solidified his reputation as a prolific and unique artist. The following year, his third album, DSU, received critical accolades from the likes of Pitchfork who praised its warmly brash blend of indie-pop and hoarse/coarse vocals. Soon after, Alex was in high demand, choosing to sign with the powerful indie music label, Domino.
High-profile liner-notes from the likes of indie-rock legend Steve Albini and collective-legend Sufjan Stevens only further bolstered Alex’s reputation and impact on the music industry.
Since then, Alex G has released four full-lengths as well as the soundtrack to the web series ‘The End of The F***ing World’. each project embracing a new opportunity for sonic growth while simultaneously embodying a unique quality of Alex’ hearty and thoughtful charm.
His most recent work, House of Sugar, was released in September of 2019 and often lauded as one of his most solid bodies of work to date. The album made the long list of the 2019 Polaris Prize and received three (and counting) Best of 2019 mentions from major publications such as Pitchfork, NPR Music, and The AV Club.
A loveable oddball, Alex G has continued to surprise listeners who are intrigued by his nimble style and intimate solo recordings. Private boutiques run to be able to nab one of his live shows (which frequently happen in small, local venues) and packed out international concert halls frequently awaiting his to churning sound.
Sandy (Alex) G’s gifts and credits to the independent, popular, and emerging music archetypes goes unquestioned. Now with countless scratchy chants of his clever melodies and increasingly distinct performances, he continues to captivate listeners even without an entailing need for explanation as to why he continues to exist at the top of his tier of music professionals.